Tuesday, 8 June, 2021 I 27 Shawwal, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 338 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition
51 killed, 100 injured as express services collide in Ghotki g
PM Imran announces 'comprehensive investigation' into fault lines
KARACHI
a
STAFF REPORT
N express train barreled into another that had derailed in Ghotki district of Sindh before dawn Monday, killing at least 51 people. More than 100 were injured, and rescuers and villagers worked throughout the day to pull survivors and the dead from the crumpled cars. The incident took place at 3:30 am when Sargodha-bound Millat Express derailed and the Sir Syed Express train hit it soon afterwards, said Ghotki Deputy Commissioner Usman Abdullah. However, it was not immediately clear what caused the derailment and the subsequent collision. “The Millat Express train left Daharki station at 03:28 am. Information was received at 03:43 am that the train had
derailed at 03:38 am,” a Pakistan Railways statement said. “Meanwhile, the Sir Syed Express train passed through Raiti at 03:38 am. As the coaches of the derailed train were infringing the down track, the driver tried to apply emergency brakes but the locomotive hit the infringing coaches at 03:38 am,” it added. As a result of this accident, six coaches of Millat Express were derailed and five coaches overturned, while two coaches of the Sir Syed Express train were derailed and three overturned, the statement said. Abdullah told Reuters it was hard to know how many people were still trapped in the train. “There are about six to eight bogies [carriages] that are totally smashed […] there is a sleeper train, AC [air conditioned] class, as well as economy class, in which there were between 47 to 50 people on this side and around 50 to 60 people on
coronavirus in
pakistan
CONFIRMED CASES:
933,630
LAST UPDATED AT 08:04 AM ON JUNE 7, 2021
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
NEW CASES:
58
1,490
RECOVERED:
DEATHS:
864,931 21,323 SINDH:
PUNJAB:
323,828
342,498
KP:
BALOCHISTAN:
134,558 AJK/GB: 19,519 / 5,642
25,819 ISLAMABAD:
81,766
the other train,” he said. “Right now the challenge for us is to quickly rescue those passengers who are still trapped in the wreckage.” Pakistan Railways chairman Habibur Rehman Gilani said in a television programme that the segment of the railway tracks where the crash took place was old and needed replacing. He, however, did not elaborate. “The track has got issues on several points, the coaches are old, some as old as 40 years,” railway official Khalid Latif told a news station. “I’ve told high-ups several times ‘please do something about it’,” he said. Aijaz Ahmed, the driver of the Sir Syed Express, said that on seeing the derailed train, he tried his best to avoid the crash by braking but failed. Railway officials said Ahmed was slightly injured, and villagers pulled him from the train’s engine after the crash. Ghotki Senior Superintendent of Police Umar Tufail said he expected the toll to shoot up as there were still mangled train compartments that rescuers had not been able to access despite the passage of hours. The death toll rose after the recovery of 11 more bodies, Ghotki SSP Umer Tufail said. He shared the list of 34 deceased passengers, including men, women and children, who have been identified. “I still fear the toll can still rise as we are tracing a few policemen of the train who are missing,” he said. He said there were up to 25 people in one compartment yet to be accessed. “Shocked by the horrific train accident at Ghotki early this morning leaving 30 passengers dead,” Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted. “I have asked Railway Minister to reach site [and] ensure medical assistance to injured [and] support for families of the dead,” he said, announcing a “comprehensive investigation” into safety fault lines in railways.
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NEC okays Rs2.1tr development outlay for next fiscal year g
Rs900bn PSDP approved; GDP growth projected at 4.8pc ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The National Economic Council has approved the total development outlay worth Rs2.1 trillion for the next financial year, including Public Sector Development Programme of Rs900 billion. The NEC, which met on Monday with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair, approved the macroeconomic framework for the next fiscal year's annual plan. The development outlay includes Rs244 billion for transport and communications, Rs118 billion for energy, Rs91 billion for water resources, Rs113 billion for social sector, Rs100 billion for regional equalisation, Rs31 billion for science & technology, Rs68 billion for SDGs and Rs17 billion for the production sector. The NEC also approved the GDP growth projections for the next financial year as 4.8 percent with sectoral growth targets of 3.5 percent for agriculture, 6.5 percent for the industrial sector, and
Afghan troops suffer ‘shockingly high’ casualties as violence mounts KABUL AGENCIES
At least 150 Afghan troops have been killed or injured in the last 24 hours in a surge of attacks by Taliban militants as foreign forces withdraw, senior government officials said on Monday. Fighting is now raging in 26 of the country’s 34 provinces, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Casualties were “shockingly high”, one added. The government says clashes over territory have increased as the United States pushes on with an operation to withdraw all its remaining troops by September 11. The Taliban seized Shahrak district of western Ghor province on Monday and forced Afghan troops to retreat to nearby villages after a heavy firefight, local officials said. A powerful car bomb targeting a police headquarters in the Khas Balkh district of Balkh province killed at least four people and wounded 50 more including civilians on Sunday, officials said.
4.7 percent for the services sector. The NEC was informed that the focus of PSDP will be on infrastructure improvement, water resources development, social sector improvement, regional equalization, skill development, promotion of science & technology, and IT, as well as climate change mitigation measures. The meeting was informed that the PSDP would cater to the government’s plans to increase focus on lagging areas and regions. For this purpose, sufficient allocations have been made for projects of South Balochistan, various districts of Sindh, as well as for Gilgit Baltistan. Allocations have also been made for infrastructure projects of South Punjab. Similarly, an allocation of Rs54 billion has been made for the newly merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In the social sectors, the Higher Education Commission has been allocated Rs42 billion.
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MORE INSIDE
Third polio vaccination drive of the year launched STORY ON BACK PAGE
FM urges Punjab CM to ensure officials at south Punjab secretariat STORY ON PAGE 03
On the same day, Taliban fighters stormed the Qaisar district of northern Faryab province, killing and wounding dozens of Afghan security forces, a police official said. Government troops have launched an operation to recapture a strategic district of Nerkh of Wardak province that lies less than an hour’s drive from the capital Kabul, a defence ministry official said. “In the past 24 hours, there
were unfortunately 157 casualties among forces,” one senior official said on condition of anonymity because they were allowed to speak to media. Political talks between the government and the Taliban have largely stalled as Washington pulls its troops out 20 years after the US bombing forced the Taliban from power. Both sides have accused the other of provoking and failing to halt attacks against civilians.
Pakistan warns India against any illegal action of further division of Jammu & Kashmir STORY ON BACK PAGE
PM urges UK to play role to unhook Pakistan from FATF grey list STORY ON PAGE 02